514 Birds of Celebes: Sylviidae. 



Sangi (Kosenberg, Bruijn n 16, etc.); North Celebes (Forsteii. Rosenb. a 8, 

 Sarasins), Manado tua (Nat. Coll.); Teniate and Tidore (Salvador! a 8). 



Intermediate birds, P. cyanus — solitaria, also occur, of course in winter, in 

 the East India Islands, as shown by Henry Seebohm (a 9), and the type of 

 P.erytkroptera (Gray), obtained by Mr. Wallace in Halmahera, is one such. The 

 typical cyanus appears to range from South Europe as far as India where it 

 begins to pass over into cyanus solitaria, and Mr. Gates (hi), shows that in 

 Tenasserim, though the proportion is lessened, the typical cyanus is still predomi- 

 nant. The true cyanus su/itaria seems to prevail only on the east coast of Asia 

 and the islands. In the above sketch of the distribution of the subspecies some 

 of the localities may rest upon intermediate forms; where this is certainly the 

 case square brackets have been used. 



The species is known only as a winter visitant to India, Burmah and 

 Tenasserim. In South China at Foochow and Swatow Mr. J. De La Touche 

 remarks that it is very common, and resident; in Central C!hina, the lower 

 Yang-tse basin, Mr. Sty an has observed it in winter as well as in summer. 

 It is known to breed in the Province of Pekin (David) and in Corea (a 14'''') 

 but apparently is not resident there. Seebohm observes that it is a common 

 summer visitor to all the Japanese Islands, and is occasionally seen in winter 

 in Southern Japan. It is a common bird, according to Mr. Hoist (f 3), in the 

 Bonin Islands, where it breeds. On the other hand all the dates which we 

 have seen (uji to the end of July, 18941 relating to specimens killed in the Southern 

 Philippines and other East Indies, upwards of 41 in number (where the number 

 of specimens is not definitely mentioned only one is reckoned, though in some 

 cases a larger number was almost certainly obtained, and this would swell the 

 total considerably) are in the winter months from September to the end of 

 April; we have found no mention of specimens shot here in summer. In his 

 paper on the birds of Palawan (a 18), Mr. Whitehead notes it as "a winter 

 migrant, arriving about the 26"^ September". In Luzon it is possibly, as in South 

 China, a resident, for Prof. Steer e notes it as having been obtained there, 

 where he collected in July. 



The eastern, like the western race, is said by David to be prized for the 

 sweetness of its song. Insects seem to be the chief food of this species, but a 

 caged specimen was found by Lord Lilford (b 1) to be almost omnivorous. 



FAMILY SYLVIIDAE. 



The name Sylviidae, or Warblers, belongs to a great group of small in- 

 sectivorous birds, for the most part of plain plumage and the sexes generally 

 similar. The young are not barred, squamated, or spotted below but often 

 suffused with a richer colour than the adults ; this character may help to 

 distinguish them from the Flycatchers and Thrushes. Still genera are found 



